We have plants between our flagstones and I wish we had put gravel instead. I've tried numerous types of plants/ground covers and nothing so far has worked really well. It is hard to keep watered, weeds proliferate, some plants will grow for a while and then die out. Thyme does well but some of it gets taller than what I want. It is high maintenance and if I had to do it over I wouldn't.

Grapes, hardy kiwi (probably your best for coverage, but don't expect fruit for a number of years), akeiba, passionflower incarnata (though I haven't gottten one to perennialize yet, they are supposedly hardy) will all do what you ask (with grapes being the fastest bearing). For unusual you may try goji (wolfberry). Were it me I'd find a good variety of thornless blackberry (a long vining type) and train that on the top of the fence. But as you can see, you do have some options. ~Chills

I think you'd find a lot of benefit from a one-hour consultation with an interior designer who can give you ideas about the exterior of the house itself. I've found rolled fencing to be a quick and easy fix for chain link fence. You zip tie it to the fence. It comes in bamboo, reed, and willow. I doubt those Alberta spruce will transplant well. It's considered to be more of a shrub than a tree so I doubt it will hurt the house. If you are doing it yourself then you may think you have nothing to lose and you can try transplanting. Generally the larger and older the plant the less likely it is to survive. Watering is the key to transplant survival and the first 10 days are critical unless you try it in the winter. Winter watering is different. I would take them all out or leave one or two. If you left two I would keep one on each end. Now, for the design style. I strongly believe this should be a reflection of you. You may like to use mostly natives given what you've stated. You can add a pollinator garden or a conservation garden. You can make raised beds and create veggie beds that are pretty and functional. If budget is a concern, creating a pea gravel circle, with metal edging and placing the firepit in the middle with Adirondack chairs around. This will be cost-effective, DIY, create a distinction from the rest of the yard and be fireproof is any embers or such escape. Here are some different kinds of ideas. Using objects that mean something to you. These pots were no longer usable, but they were important to the client so we used them in a different way. I love using boulders in the landscape. You could incorporate old oars, canoes, driftwood, etc into your lake house landscape. Can't wait to hear what you decide. Raised veggie beds with a conservation garden in the background.

Groundcovers or other very low spreading plants come to mind. Ones that I like for more shade than not are Oxalis oregana, Cyclamen hederifolium or coum, Adiantum venustum and Lamium maculatum. I also use epimediums if something a bit taller needed. Vinca minor works as well but you need to stay on top of it as it can be aggressive.